The present invention relates to a connector including a power supply contact having a relatively large size.
Some connectors have power supply contacts for supplying electric power in addition to signal contacts and ground contacts. Generally, power supply contacts have a size larger than signal contacts and the like in order to prevent an extreme voltage drop in the power supply contacts.
Various precautions have been taken to prevent an operator using a connector from receiving an electric shock or getting burnt by touching a power supply contact due to its large size. For example, JP A 08-078079 discloses an example of a connector having a cylindrical power supply contact with an insulator covering a tip of the power supply contact and an insulating pin provided inside of the power supply contact to prevent a finger from entering an internal space of the cylindrical power supply contact and touching the power supply contact although the illustrated connector does not have signal contacts.
However, a finger may touch a power supply contact by accident even if the power supply contact is not so large that the finger enters an internal space of the cylindrical power supply contact. The technology disclosed in JP A 08-078079 cannot cope with such a case.
Furthermore, if the insulator covering the tip of the power supply contact disclosed in JP A 08-078079 is made thinner, it may be broken when the connector is detached from a mating connector. On the other hand, if the insulator is made thicker, the size of the connector problematically increases. Additionally, it is not easy to cover a contact with an insulator, and the workability of the covering process is not so good.